Two-bed hand-knitting apparatus



July 25, 1961 E. ERB 2,993,352

TWO-BED HAND-KNITTING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 14, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR- ERNST ERB J ly 25, 1 61 E. ERB 2,993,352

TWO-BED HAND-KNITTING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 14, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 mew-m ERNST'ERB /3y WMM W 'WMQ July 25, 1961 E. ERB

TWO-BED HAND-KNITTING APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Dec. 14, 1959 14Tf0/QNEY ERA/5T 1718 July 25, 1961 E. ERB 2,993,352

TWO-BED HAND-KNITTING APPARATUS Filed Dec. 14, 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 United States Patent F 2,993,352 TWO-BED HAND-KNITTING APPARATUS Ernst Erb, Bruglingerstrasse 113, Basel, Switzerland Filed Dec. 14, 1959, Ser. No. 859,197 Claims priority, application Switzerland Dec. 15, 1958 7 Claims. (Cl. 66-69) This invention has for its object a two-bed hand-knitting apparatus provided with two needle beds or rows sloping towards each other, the rear needle bed being secured between two lateral supports, while the front needle bed is arranged movably between said two supports.

This invention has for its object the execution of such a hand-knitting apparatus wherein the front needle bed is adapted to move both longitudinally and transversely. Advantageously, said needle bed is adapted to be set not only in its normal operative position for which the usual knitted fabrics are executed, but also in an upper position for which a jersey fabric may be knitted and in a lower position for which it is possible to properly examine the fabric which is being knitted. The main feature of our invention consists in that there are provided two longitudinal ports in each of the lateral supports for guiding rods carrying the front needle bed, while said rods carry at their inner ends shaped guiding means for the transverse movement of the said front needle bed.

The accompanying drawings illustrate, by way of exemplification, a preferred embodiment of a hand-knitting apparatus according to our invention. In said drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front view, partly sectional, of the two-bed hand-knitting apparatus, the cam boxes adapted to reciprocate over the needle beds, and which it is unnecessary to describe for a proper understanding of the invention, having been cut out for sake of clarity.

FIG. 2 is a view from above of the front needle bed of the hand-knitting apparatus as seen in the direction of the arrow II drawn in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal cross-section through line III-III of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a cross-section through the apparatus along line IVIV of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a view from underneath of the front needle bed in the direction of the arrow V drawn in FIG 1.

FIG. 6 is a cross-section similar to that of FIG. 4 and corresponding to another position of the front needle bed.

The two-bed hand-knitting apparatus shown in FIGS. 1

Patented July 25, 1961 ends of the needle bed 11 are secured lateral plates 25 provided at their lower ends with narrow outwardly projecting flanges 25a through which said lateral plates 25 rest on the upper longitudinal surfaces of the angle bars 24, while they engage the undersides of the narrow flanges 19a of the transverse plates 19. In order to prevent any relative transverse shifting of the ends of the comparatively long needle bed 11 between the transverse guides formed by the lateral flanged plates 19a and 24, a shaft is revolvably carried in the lateral plates 25 on this needle bed 11. To each end of the shaft 26 is keyed a pinion 27 which, as clearly shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, engages a rack 24a formed on the inwardly directed flange of the angle bar 24, whereby a uniform transverse guiding of the needle bed 11 is provided.

The sliding of the needle bed 11 along its transverse guides is obtained by holding said movable bed 11 through its lower outer section and by shifting it upwardly or downwardly, as required.

On the lower surface of said movable bed are provided abutments, as shown in FIG. 5, which are adapted to stop the needle bed selectively in its normal position shown in FIG. 1, in its upper position shown in FIG. 4 and in its lower position shown in FIG. 6; these abutments include two locking levers 28 provided at the ends of the needle bed and pivotally secured to the upper part of the latter, said levers extending transversely of said bed down to 6 includes a rear stationary needle bed 10 and a front ence to each other have been cut out for sake of clarity.

For the mounting of the two needle beds 10 and 11, which are arranged in their conventional sloping relationship, there are provided, at the ends of the apparatus, two lateral supports 12 and 13, of which each includes a carrier flange 12a and 13a (FIG. 2). The carrier flange 12a includes, on its outer surface, two guiding perforated bosses 15 and 16 carrying slidingly the corresponding rods 17 and 18. These two sliding rods are interconnected at their inner ends by means of an elongated flanged transverse plate 19 (FIGS. 2 and 3) including a narrow upper inwardly projecting flange 19a. Two further rods 22 and 23 slidingly carried in the projecting perforated bosses 20 and 21 rigid with the other carrier flange 13a, which latter rods are also connected at their inner ends through another elongated flanged plate 19, form together with the first-mentioned sliding rods 17 and 18 a longitudinal slide for the front needle bed 11, which is furthermore guided transversely. To this end, there is screwed to the inner surface of each flanged transverse plate 19 an elongated angle bar 24; on the other hand, to both to a point slightly beyond the lower edge of said bed.

In the lower terminal section of the levers 28, there are formed transverse slots 28a through each of which the shank of a screw 29 screwed inside the needle bed 11 extends, so as to limit the amplitude of the pivotal movement of the levers to an extent corresponding to the length of said slots 28a. The levers 28 are subjected to the action of torsion springs 35 provided at their pivotal points, so as to urge said levers through the inner ends of the slots 28a into abutment against the shanks of the screws 29. The levers 28 are each provided further in the medial portion of its outer longitudinal edge with two notches 30 and 31 and in the vicinity of the pivot with an abutment or shoulder 32.

The angle bars 24 are provided each with a lateral stop 33. In the position illustrated in FIG. 5, these stops engage the notches 30 in the locking levers 28, so that the needle bed 11 is held fast in its uppermost position shown in FIG. 4. If the needle bed 11 is to be lowered, the levers 28 are rocked inwardly towards each other, so that the notches 30 are moved away from the stops 33. This releases the needle bed 11 which may be shifted into another position, so that it may then, upon release of the locking lever 28, be held fast in a similar manner, through engagement of the stops 33 inside the notches 31, or else, through engagement thereof with the shoulders 32, in either of the other operative positions.

In order to shift the needle bed 11 longitudinally, there is provided a special control system including a rotary shaft 37 (FIGS. 1 and 2) provided at one end with a small handwheel 36. Said shaft 37 is given substantially the same obliquity as the needle bed 11 and it passes slightly underneath the plane of the latter, so as to eX- tend through the front projecting boss 20 on the carrier flange 13a, in which boss it is revolvably mounted. Said shaft 37 is disconnectably coupled at its inner end with a coaxial stub shaft 38 revolvably carried through its opposite end in a small-diameter extension of the bore 39 formed in the other projecting boss 21 on the carrier flange 13a. The rod 23 slidingly carried in said boss 21 includes a rack surface 23a (see FIGS. 1 and 3) along its generating line facing the bore 39 and said rack meshes with a pinion 40 keyed to the corresponding end of the stub shaft 38. The rod 23 is provided along its generating line facing away from the rack 23a with a series of transverse grooves or notches 23b. These grooves which are distributed uniformly over the rod 23 cooperate with two balls 41 subjected to the action of spring blades 42 (FIGS. 1 and 3) secured to the projecting boss 20 on the carrier flange 13a, so as to lock the rod 23 in position.

The spring blades 42 act through their free ends on the two balls 41, so as to urge them into engagement selectively with the transverse grooves 23b by urging said balls through openings formed in the wall of the perforation in which the rod 23 is guided. The spacing between the two locking balls 41 is one and one half times larger than the spacing between the successive grooves 23b. On the other hand, the distribution of the grooves should be the same as that of the looping teeth on the needle bed 1 1. Thus, the locking balls 41 engage alternatingly, when the needle bed 11 slides longitudinally, the transverse grooves 23b, while the needle bed is shifted, for each engagement of a ball in a groove, by one half spacing between said teeth. Since, furthermore, the subdivision of the looping teeth on the stationary rear needle bed is the same as for the teeth on the front needle bed 11, the latter may be shifted longitudinally into such a position that the looping teeth of the two needle beds face each other, or else, the teeth on one needle bed face the interval between the teeth on the other needle bed.

In order to hold the removable rotary shaft 37 in coupling engagement with the stub shaft 38, the latter is provided along its inner terminal section with a peripheral groove 37a into which a ball 46 is urged by a compressed spring 45.

As already mentioned herein above, the front needle bed may be shifted transversely into three different positions at different levels and it is then held fast by the locking lever 28 in the selected position.

In the case of the normal operative position of the front needle bed 11, the looping teeth of the two needle beds lie at the same height, as illustrated in FIG. 1. Such an apparatus designed in the manner disclosed allows executing all usual knitted fabrics, While the longitudinal adjustment of the front needle bed 11 through operation of the handwheel 36 allows obtaining in a conventional manner further modifications in the knitting style.

When the front needle bed 11 is in its uppermost position, as illustrated in FIG. 4, it is possible to knit a jersey fabric on the apparatus. In said case, the looping teeth on the front needle bed 11 project slightly beyond those of the rear needle bed 10', while the front needle bed 11 is adjusted longitudinally in a manner such that the needles in the rear bed (FIG. 4) move between the looping teeth of the front needle bed. Thus, the meshes are securely shifted back, whereby a uniformly knitted fabric of ladder-proof material is obtained.

When the front needle bed 11 is in its lowermost position, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the fabric is open to view and may be inspected readily.

What is claimed is:

l. A two-bed hand-knitting apparatus comprising two parallel lateral supports, a rear needle bed rigidly secured between said supports, a front needle bed adapted to move in a plane extending between said supports slopingly with reference to the rear needle bed, the longitudinal directions of the two needle beds being parallel with a line of said plane, rods slidingly mounted in each lateral support for movement parallel to the longitudinal direction of the needle beds, and a carrier rigidly mounted on said rods, said front needle bed being slidably mounted on said carrier for movement in a direction perpendicular to said longitudinal direction.

2. A two-bed hand-knitting apparatus comprising two parallel lateral supports, a rear needle bed rigidly secured between said supports, a front needle bed adapted to move in a plane extending between said supports slopingly with reference to the rear needle bed, the longitudinal directions of the two needle beds being parallel with a line of said plane, rods slidingly mounted in each lateral support for movement parallel to the longitudinal direction of the needle beds, a flat guiding member fixed between said rods and movable with them between said lateral supports, and flat flanged members fixed on the ends of the front needle bed and slidably mounted on the corresponding flat guiding members for movement in the plane of said front needle bed and in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the needle beds.

3. A two-bed hand-knitting apparatus comprising two parallel lateral supports, a rear needle bed rigidly secured between said supports, a front needle bed adapted to move in a plane extending between said supports slopingly with reference to the rear needle bed, the longitudinal directions of the two needle beds being parallel with a line of said plane, rods slidingly mounted in each lateral support for movement parallel to the longitudinal direction of the needle beds, a flat guiding member fixed between said rods and movable with them between said lateral supports, flat flanged members fixed on the ends of the front needle bed and slidably mounted on the corresponding flat guiding members for movement in the plane of said front needle bed and in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the needle beds, and a shaft, the ends of which are rotatably mounted in the two flat members on the ends of the front needle bed, said shaft extending parallel to the longitudinal direction of said front needle bed, a pinion keyed to each end of said shaft and a rack fixed on each flat member, extending along a line parallel with the first-mentioned plane perpendicularly to the longitudinal direction of the needle beds and meshing with the corresponding pinion.

4. A two-bed hand-knitting apparatus comprising two parallel lateral supports, a rear needle bed rigidly secured between said supports, a front needle bed adapted to move in a plane extending between said supports slopingly with reference to the rear needle bed, the longitudinal directions of the two needle beds being parallel with a line of said plane, rods slidingly mounted in each lateral support for movement parallel to the longitudinal direction of the needle beds, a carrier rigidly mounted on said rods, said front needle bed being slidably mounted on said carrier for movement in a direction perpendicular to said longitudinal direction, two levers pivotally secured to the front needle bed at longitudinally spaced points located in the upper portion thereof nearest the rear needle bed, said levers extending beyond the edge of the front needle bed remote from said rear needle bed and being provided along their edges facing away from each other with abutments corresponding to three different transverse positions to be assumed by said front needle bed, and a stop carried by the carrier and adapted to engage selectively the abutments to hold the front needle bed in the corresponding transverse positions.

5. A two-bed hand-knitting apparatus comprising two parallel lateral supports, a rear needle bed rigidly secured between said supports, a front needle bed adapted to move in a plane extending between said supports slopingly with reference to the rear needle bed, the longitudinal directions of the two needle beds being parallel with a line of said plane, rods slidingly mounted in each lateral support for movement parallel to the longitudinal direction of the needle beds, a carrier rigidly mounted on said rods, said front needle bed being slidably mounted on said carrier for movement in a direction perpendicular to said longitudinal direction, a longitudinal rack formed on one of the sliding rods, a spindle rotatably mounted in the carrier for rotation around an axis parallel with the plane of the front needle bed and perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the latter, a pinion rotatably driven by said shaft and meshing with the rack and a handwheel on the outer end of said shaft, the rotation of which controls through said pinion and rack the longitudinal position of said one of the sliding rods and thereby of the front needle bed.

6. A two-bed hand-knitting apparatus comprising two parallel lateral supports, a rear needle bed rigidly secured between said supports, a front needle bed adapted to move in a plane extending between said supports slopingly with reference to the rear needle bed, said needle beds including each equally spaced teeth and the longitudinal directions of the two needle beds being parallel with a line of said plane, rods slidingly mounted in each lateral support for movement in a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the needle beds, a carrier rigidly mounted on said rods, said front needle bed being slidably mounted on said carrier for movement in a direction perpendicular to said longitudinal direction, a longitudinal rack formed on one of the sliding rods, a spindle rotatably mounted in the carrier for rotation around an axis parallel with the plane of the front needle bed and perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the latter, a pinion rotatably driven by said shaft and meshing with the rack and a handwheel on the outer end of said shaft, the rotation of which controls through said pinion and rack the longitudinal position of said one of the sliding rods and thereby of the front needle bed, said one of the sliding rods being provided furthermore with a series of transverse cuts distributed equally along a line diametrically opposed to the rack and the spacing of which cuts corresponds to that of the teeth on the movable needle bed, and two locking balls movable in said support in which said one of the sliding rods is mounted and spaced from each other in a direction parallel with the longitudinal direction of the needle beds a distance equal to one and one half times the spacing between the successive transverse cuts, and a spring blade secured to the said support and urging the balls against said one of the sliding rods to provide for their selective engagement in the cuts.

7. A two-bed hand-knitting apparatus comprising two parallel lateral supports, a rear needle bed rigidly secured between said supports, a front needle bed adapted to move in a plane extending between said supports slopingly with reference to the rear needle bed, the longitudinal directions of the two needle beds being parallel with a line of said plane, rods slidingly mounted in each lateral support for movement parallel to the longitudinal direction of the needle beds, and a carrier rigidly mounted on said rods, said front needle bed being slidably mounted on said carrier for movement in a direction perpendicular to said longitudinal direction and means on said front needle bed engageable with said carrier to lock the front needle bed selectively in a plurality of transverse positions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,009,446 Shaw Nov. 21, 1911 2,093,858 Zirnic Sept. 21, 1937 2,132,512 La Villette Oct. 11, 1938 FOREIGN PATENTS 64,534 Germany Oct. 3, 1892 165,791 Switzerland Feb. 16, 1934 245,192 Great Britain Dec. 30, 1925 463,184 Italy Apr. 18, 1951 

